Salla obtained a master's degree in political science from the University of Turku in 2011, followed by a PhD in 2021; the title of her thesis was The Euro Crisis 2010–2014: The Changing Role of the European Commission.

[2][4] Before her studies, Salla completed her voluntary national military service in the Finnish Air Force, discharged at the rank of sergeant.

[3] Salla ran unsuccessfully in the 2014 and 2019 European Parliament election, instead ending up as an advisor, first in Commissioner Jyrki Katainen's cabinet (2014–2016), followed by a similar role in the strategy unit of Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (2016–2020).

[3] From there she moved into business, taking up the post of Public Policy Director and Head of EU Affairs at Meta in 2020, where she was described by Politico as "Zuckerberg’s woman in Brussels".

[5] She remained in that role for three years leading up to her election to the Finnish Parliament in April 2023, representing the Helsinki constituency for the National Coalition Party.